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2 suspected ISIS recruits heading to El Paso arrested

Two Wisconsin men were arrested earlier this month on their way to El Paso where they allegedly planned to cross into Mexico to go to Sacquire travel documents and travel overseas to join the Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS, court documents say

2 suspected ISIS recruits heading to El Paso arrested

Two Wisconsin men were arrested earlier this month as they were on their way to El Paso where they allegedly planned to cross into Mexico to acquire travel documents to travel overseas to join the Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS, federal court documents say.

Jason Michael Ludke, 35, and Yosvany Padilla-Conde, 30, were arrested Oct. 5 near San Angelo, Texas, on charges of attempting to provide support to the Islamic State, according to the documents.

“The arrest of these two individuals from Wisconsin, underscores how the real threat of terrorism can occur anywhere, at any time,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Tolomeo of the FBI Milwaukee Division in a Department of Justice press release.

The FBI was alerted to Ludke and Padilla-Conde after an undercover agent posing as an IS recruiter received a friend request from Ludke back in September through a “social media platform,” according to court documents.

The documents state that Ludke, who had converted to Islam and was known as Abuz Sayyaf or Muhammad Nassir, told the undercover agent in chat conversations of his intentions to travel to Syria and Iraq. Ludke allegedly wanted to travel first to Mexico, where he has family, to purchase traveling documents.

Ludke allegedly told the agent he could not fly from the United States because of his criminal record. According to court records, Ludke had been sentenced in Wisconsin to 32 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release after being convicted on a mail threatening communications charge in 2010.

According to court records, Ludke allegedly expressed his support for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of ISIS, and had pledged allegiance to him in a video sent to the agent. Ludke also said that Padilla-Conde, as he referred as “his brother,” was interested in joining him.

Padilla-Conde also sent an email and video to the agent pledging allegiance to Al-Bahdadi and introduced himself as Saadiq Ibn Abbas or Abu Zaid, the documents said.

On Oct. 5, Ludke told the undercover agent in an email that he was travelling in Texas and was on his way to El Paso.

Ludke stated that his brother-in-law, a Palestinian Muslim, advised that he go to El Paso, where he and Padilla-Conde intended to sell their vehicle before crossing into Mexico, court documents say.

Yosvany Padilla-Conde(Photo: Tom Green County)

In that same conversation, Ludke allegedly said he was to meet a woman in Texas who he intended to marry and live in Syria. He also stated that Padilla-Conde had received firearms training from his time in the military in Cuba and was a benefit to “the brothers.” Court documents do not say if Padilla-Conde is Cuban.

Later that same day, law enforcement officers located both men near San Angelo and arrested Ludke on an outstanding warrant from Milwaukee for violating his supervised release and Padilla-Conde for immigration related issues.

The documents say Ludke had a GPS Bracelet and removed it Oct. 2

After his arrest, Ludke told agents that he and Padilla-Conde had left Wisconsin in September because they were unable to find work and were facing eviction. He said he planned to cross into Mexico and was thinking on traveling to Yemen to study Arabic.

Ludke also said he feared being sent back to jail and Padilla-Conde feared being deported.

Padilla-Conde added that, while driving to Texas, he tried to talk Ludke out of traveling overseas. He also stated he planned to leave Ludke once they were in Mexico, court documents say.

Padilla-Conde has a detention hearing scheduled for Oct. 25 in a federal court in Abilene, Texas, court documents show.

Ludke was to appear in a Wisconsin court on Oct. 12 to face charges of violating his supervised release and face the new federal charge, court documents say.

If convicted, both men face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the Department of Justice.